Archive for the ‘PS Vita’ Category
18
Nov
Posted by vagrantesque in Console, PS Vita, PS4. Tagged: Box, PlayStation, PS, PSone, PSP, Review, Sony, television, tv, Vita. Leave a comment
Given what happened last year, I certainly didn’t think I’d have any new pieces of gaming hardware to review in 2014. But now I’m getting two in the space of a week! Here’s the first, which hit Australian shores on November 14th.
“What the hell is a Playstation TV?”
There’s a question I’ve already been asked a few times. If you’re reading this, you may be asking it yourself. And there are millions of gamers and non-gamers alike who will be asking it over the next several months. It’s a question that is actually really easy to answer, but Sony’s marketing slant on the device has muddied the waters quite a bit, to the point that you’d be forgiven for thinking they themselves didn’t actually know what it’s capable of.
Continue reading →
1
Aug
Posted by vagrantesque in Games, PS Vita, PS3, PS4. Tagged: 3, 4, android, free, ios, pc, PlayStation, PS, PS3, ps4, service, smartphone, subscription, technique, tips, Vita. Leave a comment
If you have a current Playstation games console (specifically a PS3, PS4 and/or PS Vita) and a connection to the internet, you really should have some kind of subscription to Sony’s Playstation Plus service. It just makes too much sense (and is alos kinda necessary to play most online-capable games on PS4). If you’re skeptical or in the dark about its benefits, read this post I wrote a while back, when it was offering less free stuff than it was now. If it still doesn’t appeal to you, that’s OK. But if it does, then you either have a PS Plus account, or you’re planning to grab a subscription soon. Either way, read on.
Most PS Plus subscribers do not quite realise the extent of what they’re able to access with their membership. If you have just a Playstation 3, for example, you may only be downloading one or two free PS3 games as they become available each month, doing so directly from your PS3 and going along your merry way. And that’s fine. Except you could be getting more.
Allow me to suggest a new way to peruse your monthly free game offerings on PS Plus – a way that is faster, more convenient and leaves you with more games than simply doing it via your console of choice. It may seem obvious to some but I remain astounded by the number of Playstation gamers I meet who are completely unaware of the option. This was first pointed out to me by Delaney of the Mega Ultra Blast Cast (Had to mention that or he would probably complain).
Continue reading →
1
Apr
Posted by vagrantesque in Games, PS Vita, PS3. Tagged: 2, blitzball, fantasy, final, hd, PS, PS3, remaster, Review, tidus, Vita, x. 1 comment
I’ve been playing a whole lot of this one since it came out in Australia on March 20th.
-◊-◊-◊-◊-
Platform: PS3, PSV
Developer: Square Enix
Rating: M
-◊-◊-◊-◊-
X-2 is download-only on the Vita version, but you won’t be playing it anyway.
.
Those Al Bhed bastards.
.
They have the most annoying goalkeeper I have ever seen, ever, in anything. I just want to take his polygon-encrusted face and slam it into a locker until he decides never to play Blitzball again. Ugh. But the game from which he hails is great fun.
Continue reading →
27
May
Posted by vagrantesque in Games, IDO, PS Vita, PS3. Tagged: Defending, PlayStation, plus, service, Sony. Leave a comment
Well what do you know, looks like I’m in a bit more of an apologetic mood than usual. Let’s do another one.
.
I N D E F E N S E O F
–==Playstation Plus==–
.
Note:
For those without a current generation Playstation console or just not in the know, Playstation Plus is a completely optional online subscription service for owners of its consoles, launched by Sony in mid-2010. In Australia, it costs $20 for a 90-day subscription and $70 for a year’s worth. The company also likes to throw around free 30-day trials for the service as bonuses with its new games from time to time. The biggest reason to be a member of Playstation Plus is access to what the company calls its “instant game collection”, which is basically a constantly changing list of games available as full downloads for free. Members are able to play these full games until their subscription runs out, at which point they have to either renew their subscription, pay for the game completely or surrender the legal right to play it. The service also provides small discounts on normally priced game downloads (which can be played for as long as you like) and allows for automatic game and system updates on PS3 while it isn’t being used, among other things. Glad we got that out of the way. Now:
.
The Case Against:
The one thing that the Playstation 3 always had over the Xbox 360 in the online department was that it was free. You didn’t have to pay any stupid yearly online fees just to enjoy a multiplayer game online with your friends. While Playstation Plus technically doesn’t change that, it does represent a cynical attempt by Sony to take more money from its loyal customers. This leaves a bit of a sour taste in the mouth, but it’s nothing compared to the outrage that is the service itself. The idea of downloading a game and being forced to pay to keep playing it is utterly repulsive. The service is a blight on the Playstation name and it should not exist.
-◊-◊-
More like Playstation Minus, amirite? hehe
The Defense:
A lot of things attract hate on the internet. Wait, what am I saying? Everything attracts hate on the internet. But the reasons for hating on Playstation Plus that I most often encounter on forums and the like are simply some of the weakest I have ever seen. And they are a lot more plentiful than they should be. Continue reading →
18
May
Posted by vagrantesque in 3DS, Games, PS Vita. Tagged: 3DS, escape, last, PS, Review, reward, virtue, Vita, zero. Leave a comment
Now for a little gem that came out very late last year in Australia and got buried in the AAA blockbuster rush. It only came to my attention last month when it was available as a free download on Playstation Vita as part of the Playstation Plus service. I liked it so much that I tracked down a 3DS copy of the game so my Vita-less friends could play it.
-◊-◊-◊-◊-
Platform: 3DS, PSV
Developer: Spike Chunsoft
Rating: M
-◊-◊-◊-◊-
Creeeepy.
.
It was agonizing.
.
The first time I was faced with that terrible screen, forcing me to select either “ally” or “betray”, I stared blankly at the two options for what felt like hours. There were so many implications to that decision, so many permutations. What if my opponent betrayed me after I left myself open by choosing to ally? What if I was the one who betrayed a vulnerable player, bringing them that much closer to their death? Which option was worse? Such is the primary dilemna at the heart of the truly mind-bending Virtue’s Last Reward.
Simple, but never, ever easy.
Continue reading →
1
May
Posted by vagrantesque in 3DS, Console, Games, PS Vita. Tagged: 3DS, better, comparison, Portable, PS Vita. Leave a comment
Because I play far too many portable games not to write this.
As far as portable gaming in today’s society is concerned, the naysayers and doomsday prophets haven’t quite been proved right yet. Apple’s portable devices, while demanding a huge market share thanks to their usefulness in other areas of life, have not stamped out the need for dedicated portable gaming devices. Sales figures show as much. Call it the need for physical buttons, call it the type of development costs that go into creating dedicated experiences, call it what you may; at least for the time being, you can still get some fantastic, fleshed out experiences on dedicated handhelds.
The question is, which of the two most prominent platforms is most worth your cash? The Nintendo 3DS, or the Playstation Vita? Each has been out for at least a year by now, after all. Well, as an owner of both, I hope I can help you decide today.
I’ve broken the comparison down into five segments:
Continue reading →
27
Feb
Posted by vagrantesque in Games, PS Vita. Tagged: addition, difference, improvement, Persona 4, Persona 4 Golden. 4 comments
There is quite a lot that has changed in Persona 4 Golden since it was just Persona 4 on the Playstation 2. So much so, in fact, that I thought the changes deserved their own article. For those who have played some or all of the original game, this list may help you decide whether the revised game is worth getting at all. I’m going to try to be exhaustive here but may miss a few.
Indeed, kitten.
I’ve divided the list into three sections: the small changes, the medium-sized changes and the big changes.
Continue reading →
27
Feb
Posted by vagrantesque in Games, PS Vita. Tagged: Game, Golden, Persona, Review, Vita. Leave a comment
This Vita gem was scheduled to be released in Australia today, but it has already been in stores for a couple of days. The Americans got it last November and I imported it back then so I could finish it by our release date. Easier said than done, but here we are.
-◊-◊-◊-◊-
Platform: PSV
Developer: Atlus
Rating: M
-◊-◊-◊-◊-
From the unhinged people who brought you Catherine!
.
It’s a hectic week.
.
High school life never slows down. My teachers are irritating and they keep picking on me to answer questions I have no idea about. I have to attend drama and soccer practice as regularly as I can, because they improve my expression and diligence. I should try to help out my classmates who need to find all manner of trinkets, but exams are coming up so I really should study. I should also make time to hang out with friends, but things don’t pay for themselves, so I have to work hard at a part time job. Oh, and I need to fuse a decent Persona so I can beat a grotesque shadow monster when I next go inside a TV at the local department store.
Such is the bizarre equation of Persona 4 Golden, a truly fantastic entry in one of gaming’s most unique RPG series.
Continue reading →
23
Feb
Posted by vagrantesque in Console, PS Vita. Tagged: birthday, one, PS, Vita, Year. Leave a comment
Two posts today, methinks.
It’s hard to believe that it has already been one full year since the launch of Sony’s latest and greatest dedicated gaming handheld, the Playstation Vita. 366 days ago I was quivering with excitement at the thought of a shiny new piece of tech and, aside from hours worth of initial setup, I was not disappointed. You can read my day one impressions of the system here and my first month impressions here.
Now wouldn’t it be nice if I could write a lovely piece about all the ways the system has moved ahead in leaps and bounds since launch, building on its rather strong start to etch out an authoritative corner of the gaming space, in doing so announcing itself as a must-have piece of hardware?
Yes, yes it would. However, this simply isn’t the case.
Apt.
Don’t get me wrong, I adore my Playstation Vita and in the last two months, I haven’t played any other console nearly as much. This is mostly due to the excellent Persona 4 Golden, which I am very nearly finished and very nearly ready to review, but I digress. Aside from that Atlus gem, there has been precious little gaming content to write home about. To put things into perspective, though the Vita did have a very compelling launch lineup, in the space of a year the amount of Vita-specific games you can buy for your handheld has barely doubled. There are some worthwhile titles there, such as Gravity Rush, Assassin’s Creed Liberation and LittleBigPlanet, but outside of games you can also buy on your PS3 the list doesn’t go on much farther than that.
This isn’t the last you’ll hear from me about the Vita for the conceivable future, as I’m thinking of doing a comparison article with the 3DS for the benefit of people trying to toss up which system to get. But as for a standalone anniversary article, there just isn’t enough content to fill one out, sadly. Happy first birthday Vita. I hope by the time we get to your second there will be a lot more to celebrate.
28
Jun
Posted by vagrantesque in Games, PS Vita. Tagged: Gravity Rush, PS Vita, Review. Leave a comment
It has been a long time since I did a game review, mostly since the games I’ve been playing lately are on 3DS and grabbing screenshots of those games is a nightmare. I’ll still get to them in due time, but for now, here’s a review of the recently-released Playstation Vita game Gravity Rush. It came out on June 14th.
The PSN delay made this a long one.
-◊-◊-◊-◊-
Platform: PSV
Developer: Sony Japan Studio
Rating: PG
-◊-◊-◊-◊-
The case is a lot smaller in real life.
.
Yes, it’s that game.
.
The one I ranted about as the primary reason why I wanted a Playstation Vita. The one I complained about when it was absent from the system’s launch. The one I’ve been waiting for since, well, since I first heard about it almost a year ago. That game. I’ve almost set myself up to be disappointed by Gravity Rush just due to the sheer weight of expectation I’ve placed on it over the last few months alone. Well, now I’ve played it, and yes, now I’ve finished it (something I rarely do at all with games these days, let alone in under two weeks). Read on to find out how it fares. Continue reading →
Vagrant Rant 